Monday, September 9, 2019

This interview series introduces the talented recipients of the SCBWI Mentorship Awardat the 2019 Summer Conference. Please welcome Rob Sayegh to the KidLitArtists Blog!

From Rob:

Hiya! My name is Rob Sayegh Jr, and I am an author/illustrator specializing in children's media. I love creating worlds and characters that make people of all ages smile and giggle by combining humorous illustrations with playful stories. When I am not doodling or writing, I enjoy collecting vintage toys, being an official snack taste-tester, falling in love with every dog I meet, and exploring San Francisco where I currently live with my partner and two dogs Penny and Rigby.My clients include: Houghton Mifflin HarcourtScholastic Fisher-PriceHasbroDisney Consumer ProductsNickelodeonSpin-Masterand many more.

Did the feedback you received during the mentorship critiques either change or confirm the direction of your illustration? Are there any specific examples you can share?"The mentors provided amazing feedback on so many things. One example I can give is that my styling is rather simple and it was commented that I tend to go so simple on human faces, that they all start to look the same. It could be a problem in a book that features lots of characters. It's a great point, and it could have affected me from being selected for certain projects."What kind of projects are you working on now?"I currently am working on several unannounced projects that I cannot wait to share with everyone in the future."

Is there any illustration (or other work) that you’re hoping for in the near future?"I would love to write and illustrate my own children's book series."Is there one really helpful piece of advice that you’ve gotten since pursuing illustration? "BUTT IN CHAIR. It's something I heard at my very first SCBWI conference. It's really the most valuable thing anyone can do to help their career. I think it just keeps you always a student of your craft and builds great habits in creating work every day."Any one piece of bad advice? "There is no such thing as bad advice!"

What was one of your favorite quotes or lessons from the SCBWI Summer conference?

"Several people said my favorite lesson. It was about how one should really own their literary voice and illustration style. Both Christian Robinson and Arthur Levine said this but from two very different standpoints of an illustrator and an editor. It fascinated me how powerful it was to hear it this way. Bringing the stories only you can tell not only help someone see who you are, but it allows you to stand out from others as a storyteller."

What were some of your favorite books when you were a kid?

"I was obsessed with Bunnicula. Harold is still one of my favorite literary characters today."

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Has there ever been an unusual class you have wanted to take? Or a drawing or writing challenge you wanted to participate in--or start? Enter a competition? Maybe learn a technique that is in a completely different style than how you work? Maybe travel? But then you hesitate and ask yourself, Why? You tell yourself that what you want to do has nothing to do with what you should do; that your time should be spent improving your portfolio or finish your story or revising the manuscript you have finished or sending out query letters so you can get something published; that these things are distractions and have nothing to help you further your goals and dreams.

GOALS. DREAMS. Those lofty ideals.

Here’s a thought: maybe that quirky woodworking class or script writing or #inktober, #fairytaleweek, #nanowrimo or any other #challenge is exactly what you DO need.

One of the pandas from my #100DayProject turned into a full picture book manuscript, Caring for Frank.

I have participated in #pleinairpril in 2017 and 2018. During this challenge, I’ve used pencil, pen and ink, and watercolor to draw one scene from life every day for a full month. These pieces are often stylistically different than my illustration portfolio. This challenge has pushed and trained my color mixing skills, allowed me to acknowledge my comfort and strength with linework, then pushed me beyond linework into abstraction of shape and blending forms together. I grew less timid in putting brush to paper, which is reflected when you compare a piece from my first year to a piece from my second year:

2018

Many of these activities are parallel to your goals, if not a direct stepping-stone. These workshops, classes, and challenges can be seen as professional development--your way of continuing your education over the years. They often take you outside your comfort zone or push you in ways you may not push yourself on a daily basis. They open pathways in your thinking and can spark the excitement that gives you the energy to soldier on. They can help you relax and, you know, have FUN on your journey.

An unexpected benefit of PleinAirpril and some SketchCrawl events I have attended over the years has been the social aspect. I’ve been able to connect with other local plein air artists through Warrior Painters and have the opportunity to discover unexpected and quirky locations in my city that I would otherwise have known nothing about. I have been to a Krampus parade, a lotus festival, a Chinese New Years celebration, an OSTRICH FARM!!

How do you make it happen?

Make your one-day list. Write down anything that you’re dreaming of participating in or attending. Categorize it and subcategorize it to your heart’s content. Colored pens for different types of activities might be helpful. Some categories may include: Workshops/Classes, #challenges, Conferences, Art/Writing Residencies, Applying for Grants/Entering Contests, Goals (like filling a sketchbook or journal)

Prioritize. It’s great to make the longest list ever, but you can’t do everything at once. What are the 1 or 2 activities that make you MOST excited? Start with these and set a goal: I’d like to attend THIS conference by THIS year.

Read the requirements. Some of the activities might be daily or weekly, or something you need to apply for in advance. Knowing this is important!

Budget. And when I say budget, I mean both TIME and MONEY. We all have limitations and standing obligations in our lives.

If you have a limited number of vacation days each year, figure out how much you would need to take off for the activity AND for some downtime between the activity and starting work again. Can you take one fewer day off during the holidays to give you the time for that summer workshop? Can you work a half day before a flight instead of taking a full day off? Can you barter with a friend to watch their kids during the week in exchange for them babysitting your children on the weekend of your event? Don’t forget to budget for that downtime! It gives you the rest you need as well as time to process the incredible experience you just had!

Many of these events come with a significant cost. Determine how much you would need to set aside to cover the cost of registering for these activities, food, and lodging. If needed, get in touch with your inner child and start squirreling away money in a piggy bank or an envelope so that the money for your event is not lumped in with your monthly finances. Until you can save up, look for no- or low-cost activities that are similar to what you want to do, such as local meetups to draw, paint, or work on your craft. A little research can uncover a world of possibility!

Be Flexible! Life happens and things will arise that are outside of your control and will mess up your carefully laid plans. If the event or activity is recurring and you miss the deadline, adjust your schedule for the next time this event occurs. If you miss a speaker you really wanted to see or learn from, go online and see if they’ll be doing other events later in the year. Perhaps they are speaking at a smaller event that is less expensive but a bit further away. If your schedule is ALWAYS busy during your favorite #challenge, make your own and set it for your slow season!

For me, the one thing I’ve been wanting to do since reading Cory Godbey's blog post in 2015 is to attend the Light Gray Art Lab Iceland Artist Residency. This residency requires you to apply 1 year in advance of the workshop. I set my goal to apply in August 2018 for August 2019, but when 2018 rolled around, I realized that I had overbooked activities for 2019. Reluctantly, I knew that my timing was just not right so I held off on applying. When the application opened this year for 2020, I applied in the very first week, determined not to miss my opportunity again. I will know in about a month whether or not I’m accepted to the artist residency for next year. If I get in this year, I will be jumping for joy! IF I don’t, then I will find other events to fill my time in 2020 and I will apply again next year. WHEN I get there, I will fill up my sketchbook with drawings and memories of the trip and experience new flavors, smells, sights, and environments.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

First we want to say a big CONGRATULATIONS to our very own Andy Musser, who won this year's portfolio showcase at the SCBWI Los Angeles conference! His portfolio is gorgeous and you should take a peek at his website: www.andymusser.com/

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Flow is the order in which the images are arranged – how you arrange your work showcases your storytelling ability, which is paramount in the children's book world. Treat your portfolio like a book! (While flow can also be applied to a website, the primary focus here is a physical portfolio.)

BEGINNING AND END:It's good to start and end with an eye-catching piece, your very best work. Some people actually create a "title page" with an illustration and their contact information (Molly Idle does this!). After your intro, you want to arrange your work in a way that feels natural, leading from one to another as smoothly as possible. If you have series of images (and you should!!), then they naturally group together. After that, you can try different arrangements to connect images by composition, color, or content.

Examples: Each of these pairings involve two images which are not from the same series, but share a visual commonality.

These two pieces have color palette similarity, as well as the dots (of dandelions and fireflies) serving as a compositional similarity.

Example of a transition: The beginning and ending pieces in this sequence are each from a series. The two in the middle serve as a transition from the first series to the second. The first two images share a color palette and the outdoors, the middle two share a single child figure doing a similar action, and the last two images share a color palette and stars.

Here is a possible layout of an entire portfolio. Many other arrangements would also work. It starts with a single image, moves to a kid series, three additional single images, then an animal series, a single image to transition to a third series, and then a final, single closing image.

SECTIONS:If you have two separate, consistent styles you will want to create separate sections for them (they don't have to have a physical divider, but don't intermingle the images). You might have a section for your middlegrade vs. picture book work, or your black and white vs. your color images. Eliza Wheeler and Maple Lam both separate their portfolios into "light" and "dark" sections for the more colorful, lighthearted work, and the more monochrome, moodier work.

There are zillions of ways to arrange any given set of images, but taking a little time to lay it out carefully can really add cohesiveness to your portfolio! Flow is important enough that I will remove images that I'd otherwise include in my portfolio if they don't seem to fit into the flow.

P.S. The storytelling aspect is one reason why I don't use process work in my portfolio – it can disrupt the story. It is a great thing to include on your website, but since art directors mostly care about the finished image I do not include it in my physical book.

....................................

Jen Betton wrote and illustrated HEDGEHOG NEEDS A HUG (Penguin-Putnam) and illustrated TWILIGHT CHANT by Holly Thompson (Clarion-HMH).You can find more of her work here:www.jenbetton.comwww.facebook.com/jenbettonillustration@jenbetton

Monday, July 8, 2019

As children's book writers and illustrators, we are a part of this amazing community that sees the world from the unique perspective of tiny humans. Something I hadn't considered until recently is the fact that many of the professionals working in this field are also balancing parenting (sometimes full time) while creating too.

Curious about this, I did a search for articles that would answer some of the immediate questions I had regarding the maintenance (and growth) of a creative career while being a parent to a little one. I started rifling through old SCBWI magazines that I had kept while perusing the internet and was surprised that I found more questions than answers.

So I went to the experts and interviewed three Mentees who are balancing their creative careers while being awesome parents too! They had some wonderful insight I am excited to be sharing with you. Whether you are an expecting parent or a one that's already in the trenches, this article is a must-read on how to keep swimming.

Q: How do you balance staying home with little ones and still have time for your creative work?

CORINNA: It’s tricky, for sure. I think it’s important to remember that this is a phase, and your children will grow up quite quickly. It may not seem like it at first, but as they say- the days are long but the years are short. This is SO true.

I have found that it can be helpful to remember that limits are not necessarily a problem- they can also be your friend. Perhaps when your children are very young it is not the time to experiment with an overly complicated style. Those early years are a great time to take honest stock of your strengths and weaknesses as a writer or illustrator and then play to your strengths! Embrace the things that you know you do well. It can also be helpful to use materials or techniques that you can walk away from and come back to it without having to do major cleanup each time. Watercolor is wonderful for this. Or maybe it means working in small 20 minute increments, but learning how to string those increments together. One tip that I learned for this, is to always stop when you are still slightly in the zone and have a clear idea of what you’re going to do next. This gives you a quick and easy re-entry point the next time you are able to work on the piece again. Because if you work on a piece until you have no idea what comes next, and you are interrupted often, it can be hard to find your way back into the flow. But if you know what you want to do next, even if it is something as simple as making a pair of shoes red, you have a way back in.

Also, you can surprise yourself. I never thought I’d be able to work at night. But I found that I could put my daughter to bed at night and fall asleep with her, then wake up after 20 minutes or so and work from 9pm until 1 or 2 am. This isn’t an ideal schedule for me, and as soon as my daughter entered kindergarten I went back to work during the day. But it was definitely something that I could manage for a few years to make more uninterrupted time for art making. I have found, especially when you’re tired, that the first few minutes are the hardest. But if you can just sit down in your chair and pick up a pencil and start working… you can find your way into a rhythm more quickly than you might think. It’s mysterious in a way, but I have found that where ever you can make the time and space for creative work, it will meet you there.

SUZANNE: I push a schedule to work earlier before everyone gets up. Also during crunch time, my family leaves for weekend trips to let me focus for a few days.

I also bought a portable Cintiq I have used in the car, soccer practice, or anywhere in between.

SUNGYEON:I think it is super hard to do anything creative until the baby is two or three. I got help as much as possible like a food delivery service, grocery shopping service, a robot cleaning machine, a dishwasher, an air fryer, and an instant pot. I used my iPad as my main creative tool. It is quick, simple and easy. In this time, quality is not that important, quantity is precious. Quick doodling, quick sketch and a quick note kept me in a creative loop.

Q: How do you manage to stay motivated when your brain is running on zero sleep?

CORINNA: Sleep is so important— for your body, mind and creative spirit… and not something that you want to sacrifice for very long. After about a year of working late at night and not sleeping very much, I started to notice it was affecting me. As I continued to work at night, I made sure to take afternoon naps with my daughter. This allowed me to work at night for a few more years without it taking as much of a toll. Ultimately, this is something I think you can do for bits of time... on a deadline etc... but in the long run, it’s important to make sure that you have a healthy lifestyle and to keep the long view. Be patient. Be kind to yourself. Be realistic about your priorities at this stage- because it IS a stage. And it will pass.

Also keep in mind, that even when you are not making art, as long as you are parenting a small child, you are absorbing SO many influences for your art. Your heart is growing and your understanding of children is growing. It might help to think of it as the research stage of your bookmaking life. Because no matter how tired you are, you will certainly be looking at TONS of picture books together. And this will not always be the case. On those days when you are SO tired, I think it also helps to keep your work loose and rough. To think of what you are doing as notes, quick sketches, and imagine that you are saving up some of these impulses and ideas for another day. Now that my daughter is almost 10, I have more time for work. But she’s no longer the perfect age to use as a model for most picture books and she no longer says and does all those strange, wonderful, surprising things that very small children say and do.

SUZANNE: I try to read at least a few picture books every day and sneak in sketches with crazy materials. This inspiration keeps me going.

SUNGYEON: Please sleep whenever you can. I went to urgent care a couple times for exhaustion and it was not worth it. Wait and think about what you will do when your baby goes to preschool. Meanwhile, go to the library with your baby and research and study children's books with them. It is a precious reference, and babies are experts with children's books. Learn from them. It is your research period.

Bank your stories/ideas in a notebook as you research. In a couple of years, you will be ready to sit down and carve out these ideas.

Q: What is one piece of advice you wish someone had given you when you were first trying to find time for creative work with a little one?

CORINNA: Be patient. You will have more time to work on art and books soon enough. Your child will grow up SO fast, and they will want to hang out with their friends more than you. So treasure this time.

SUZANNE: That is was OK to be selfish with your time. That I deserve to have this time and it doesn't make me a bad mom. I struggle with this still.

SUNGYEON: You may not have the luxurious 3-5 hours of creative time, but you can still find it here and there. The longest time you may find might be less than 30 minutes if you are lucky. So plan ahead for creative time when baby falls asleep. I made lists of what to do for 30 minute blocks. When the time comes, don't look at dirty dishes or surf the internet. Utilize your precious 30 minutes meaningfully.

Take turns with your partner. Have baby-free time one evening, and give your partner baby-free time another evening.

Q: Is there anything you wish you would have spent more time on or prepped more for before your little one arrived?

CORINNA: It’s such a difficult thing to “be prepared” for. In many ways, I think it’s best to be prepared to be unprepared. Make peace with the fact that life is going to surprise you and that those surprises and the messiness of it all are also the essence of life itself. The truth is that being a parent (and balancing parenting with a creative career that will take as much of your time as you can give it) can be very difficult at times. But being a parent also opens your heart up in an incredible way. And this can be a tremendous gift to your art making, in the long run. Ultimately, making picture books might be your dream, just like it was mine, but it isn’t going to make you happy. The more books I make, and the more my career grows, and the busier I get, the more this becomes very very clear to me. Happiness or contentment—or whatever you want to call this thing that we are all searching for…really can only exist right here, right now, in all the tired and mess and hoping and wishing and failing and trying again.

SUZANNE: Setting up childcare and not feeling guilty for wanting to do both. I wish I would have felt comfortable spending the money on a good computer and a Cintiq tablet. I felt all the money should go to the new family and that I could get by. It was only after winning the mentorship I gave myself permission to stop using my 15-year-old tablet from college.

SUNGYEON: Baby-proof your art space. Organize art supply drawers, so that you can work efficiently. Donate unnecessary art supplies, and simplify your environment. You will fill up space with lots of baby stuff, but don't give up your art corner.

Also, don't spend too much time decorating the baby's room. Babies don't care about their rooms and they will want to replace the beautiful elephant and flower mural paintings with superheroes and princess when they grow up, anyway.

I transformed my art room into the baby’s room before the baby was born and it took three years to convert it back to my own space. Luckily, I wrote some baby diaries to remind me of wonderful times. I wish I drew more and took more pictures of my baby. Enjoy the precious moments! They don't come back until....... you have a second baby! :)

~Jeslyn Kate

Jeslyn Kate writes/illustrates for children and teaches art.You can find her work at these different locations:Website:www.jeslynkate.comInstagram: Jeslyn KateTwitter: @jeslynkateFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeslynkateart

Monday, July 1, 2019

Learning to see how other artists draw is a favorite past-time for me. As I look and discover the way a line is drawn or shaded, it always inspires me to pick up a pen and try to mimic the manner that it was created. For these studies, I used a Zebra ball point pen.

Usually, I grab my closest sketchbook, a napkin or a random piece of paper and draw. But, I’m trying to become more deliberate by putting them into one folder. This way I can look back and see which artists I admire and the studies I created.

By studying the way that other artists work, it helps to understand why they made the choices that they did. And it opens up the creative flow for an enjoyable warm-up.

If you sketch from another artists work--

➽➽ALWAYS give credit to the artist.

Since it is a warm-up session, I’m not concerned with completing an entire illustration. My focus is on small details, shading, line variance, expression, etc.

Maurice Sendak is one of my favorite illustrators to study. His line work is masterful. When I was redrawing the coat of the old man, I realized that the pattern goes through the whole coat. He didn’t change the direction of the lines where the arm is. AH-HA moment! Discoveries like this help me to simplify my own work so I don’t get fussy about making sure thefabric wraps.

And. . . I'm excited to share that I'll be rolling out a short, monthly newsletter at the end of the year. It will focus on taking moments to live a creative life.It's for artists, writers, kids, moms, dads and anyone who wants to ignite that little spark of creativity in their lives.

Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Independent Bookstore Day was celebrated nationally this past weekend. It's a wonderful event that rewards book lovers with exclusives and events at all their favorite local shops. I love participating as a shopper, supporting the small businesses that make our neighborhoods special -- all while filling up our shelves with new books to enjoy.

But, it's also a great opportunity to participate as an illustrator and to give back to our communities!

Indie Bookstore Day takes place on the last Saturday in April!

Personally, I'm passionate about small businesses, so I got involved years ago with my local Bookstore Day by signing my books or presenting my artwork during the event. Many families celebrate Independent Bookstore Day, so it's an opportunity to read aloud, draw with kids, or talk to families about the path to publication and how picture books are made. Even just to answer questions. You never know who you might meet and inspire!

Photo credit: Dain Middleton

But this year, I was named Book Crawl Ambassador for my city-wide Independent Bookstore Day Celebration. (They even made me a sash!)

I designed giveaways for every bookstore participating, and also hid prizes around the independent shops just for fun. I ran from shop to shop for ten hours of signings and events!

It was worth it to see the smiles and to meet the wonderful book lovers of my community.

It's been a lot of fun, a great way to give back to my community. Indie bookshops are run with a lot of heart and give us recommendations and conversations a website never could.

These book stores celebrated my debut as an author and every book I've published, know every member of my family, carry my products in their stores, and have laughed and cried talking about books and life with me! I love them, and the people who run them, and they deserve to be celebrated -- as do the people who shop at them!

Here are more images from the San Diego Book Crawl / Independent Bookstore Day 2019! (#SDBookCrawl was our hashtag -- check out those book lovers in action!)

People of all ages attended -- some riding public transportation or bikes to every stop! One of the best parts of being out and about during our Indie Bookstore celebration was hearing everyone's stories -- where their home bookstore is, where they've discovered, and how they're crawling between stops. All in all, it reminded me of the power and kindness of the book loving community - and I'm glad I volunteered my time to this!

Thank you to my community and all the wonderful booksellers in San Diego who made this event a total blast. I don't know about you, but I'm already excited for next year's!

WELCOME!

Welcome to the home of KidLitArtists, the group blog of recipients of the SCBWI Illustration Portfolio Mentorship Program (LA Summer Conference). Follow us for info, tips and resources about children's illustration as well as updates on our own projects.